Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable air-conditioner.
Related Art
In general, air-conditioners include components such as a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, an expansion valve, and an indoor heat exchanger.
Air-conditioners are used to maintain an indoor temperature at a set temperature or make an indoor area a pleasant environment.
Air-conditioners are installed in an indoor space or on a wall of vehicles, offices, or homes to cool or heat the indoor area.
Air-conditioners implement a refrigerating cycle or a heat pump cycle in which a refrigerant flows in a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, an expansion valve (capillary), and an indoor heat exchanger.
In general, separation-type air-conditioners including an indoor unit and an outdoor unit are used.
A portable air-conditioner is installed in a building in which it is difficult to install the separation type air-conditioner. One type of air conditioner is a portable air conditioner, such as disclosed in related art Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2006-0026757.
The portable air-conditioner has wheels and may be moved to a position intended by a user. The portable air-conditioner has a structure in which a condenser and an evaporator are installed in a main body thereof, and is used only for performing cooling.
Here, air heat-exchanged with the evaporator is discharged to an indoor area to cool indoor air, and air heat-exchanged with the condenser is discharged outwardly through an exhaust pipe. To this end, the portable air-conditioner has the exhaust pipe guiding air heat-exchanged with the condenser to the outside.
The related art portable air-conditioner is manufactured such that the exhaust pipe is detachably attached to the main body.
The exhaust pipe of the related art portable air-conditioner is coupled to the main body only when used, and when the exhaust pipe is not in use, the exhaust pipe is required to be received in an extra space after being separated from the main body.
Thus, the related art portable air-conditioner has a problem in that an extra receiving space is required to keep the exhaust pipe in storage.
Also, since the related art portable air-conditioner has the structure in which the exhaust pipe is detachably attached, assembly components (for example, a bolt, a screw, and the like) required for attaching and detaching the exhaust pipe are required, and when the exhaust pipe is separated and kept for storage, the assembly components may be lost.
In addition, the exhaust pipe of the related art portable air-conditioner is very weak for a high load, frequently damaged such as being bent or broken during a process in which the exhaust pipe is kept in storage, causing a problem in that a new exhaust pipe should be purchased due to the damage done in the keeping process.
Moreover, the related art portable air-conditioner is on sale in a state in which the exhaust pipe and the man body are separately packaged, increasing a volume of the product and transportation cost.